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Category Archives: Hard Candy

I really like the Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polishes that I purchased from Walmart back in April. I’ve had the chance to wear them both a couple times, so I can review them. What I liked about them is that the Candied Color Nail Polish line reminds me a lot of the Nails Inc Special Effects Sprinkles Collection that came out last summer. You may remember from this post that I splurged on two bottles for my birthday last year, but they were a bit pricey for my taste. For less that half the cost, and nine shades to chose from, these Candied Color Nail Polishes are a good alternative.

Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polish in Gummy Green

The first Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polish shade that I chose was Gummy Green. Gummy Green is a blue tinged minty green jelly base with black, white, and silver glitter “sprinkles”. It’s a really cute shade. The glitter is small, but plentiful, so it goes on evenly without having to place it. The polish applies smoothly with no streaks. If you want a “jelly” look, you can leave it at one thick coat, but know that you will be able to see your nail line through it. Two coats will make it pretty opaque. The photo below is two thin coats topped with Seche Vite.

Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polish in Gummy Green

I was not thrilled with the wear time that Gummy Green gave me. I used my Seche Vite base coat underneath, and despite the top coat it chipped after two days. And I don’t mean little chips. Gummy Green is a great polish if you paint your nails often and only need a couple days of wear time.

Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polish in Cocoa Smore

The second shade that I chose from the Candied Color line was Cocoa Smore. One of the shades that I didn’t get in last year’s Nails Inc Special Effects Sprinkles Collection was Sugar House Lane, a monochrome polish with black and white glitters suspended in a taupey gray base. Cocoa Smore is extremely similar, so I definitely wanted to pick it up. Cocoa Smore has the same small black, white, and silver glitter as Gummy Green. (Other shades in the line have different colored glitter. It’s just coincidence that the two shades that I chose have the same glitters in them.) Also like Gummy Green, Cocoa Smore is really pretty with one thick coat. The swatch below is two coats, though.

Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polish in Cocoa Smore

Cocoa Smore wore a little better than Gummy Green. It wasn’t until day four that it chipped on me. The weird part about both of these polishes is that when they did start to chip, they completely fell apart. They would be going strong, and after the first little nick it would suddenly be chips ahoy. I haven’t used other Hard Candy polishes before, so I don’t know if that is common for Hard Candy, or unique to the Candies Color line.

Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polishes are $4.00 at Walmart. They aren’t as cheap as Sinful Colors, for example, but they are a lot cheaper than brands like Illamasqua or Nails Inc that have been doing these candy sprinkle or robin’s egg speckled lines. I am personally glad that I got both of the shades that I did, but I am not compelled to buy any more. Then again, I do have two of the Nails Inc polishes from last year, so I now have four of this type of polishes. If you are interested in this look, I definitely think that it’s worth it to pick up one or two shades of the Hard Candy Candied Color Nail Polishes. Just be sure to top with a really good top coat.

It’s been ages since my last nail of the day post. Last week in my “Spotted” post, I showed you the huge collection of Hard Candy polishes that came out this year. The polishes that really caught my eye were the Candy Sprinkles line. Today I am wearing two coats of Hard Candy Gummy Green topped with a coat of Seche Vite. I bought two shades in the line, so stay tuned for a review. In the meantime, enjoy this NOTD post.

It has been a really long time since I did a “Spotted” post to show you what new displays have been popping up. I’ve still been snapping pics, though, so this is going to be a huge photo fest of what I’ve captured on my cell phone while I’ve been out and about, mostly Walgreens and Ulta.

Maybelline has some fun items out for Summer 2013. First is the three new shades of Dream Sun Bronzing Powder as well as a Dream Sun Illuminator in gel form.

New Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow

Also, possibly more exciting, are the new colors of Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow. One word: Duochrome. Though the full Summer 2013 collection is not pictured here in this display, there are eight new shades. Shady Shores, Lavish Lavender, Seashore Frost, Icy Mint, Cool Crush, Waves of White, Blue Paradise, and Precious Pearl. I don’t know if all eight new shades are duochromes, but I believe the majority of them are.

Nivea Lip Butters

You have probably already heard of the Nivea Lip Butters by now, but If you have not, here is what the display looks like. These have become very popular, for their creamy formula and killer scents. So if you are looking for a lip balm, you may want to give one of these butters a try.

Wet N Wild Fergie Nail Color Sets

At Walgreens, I spotted some Wet N Wild Fergie Nail Color Sets that contain six polishes from the Fergie polish line. There are two sets: The Flossy Flossy (pictured) and the Fergalicious Definition including a variety of glitters, shimmers, and creme polishes.

L’Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream

Another item that’s been popping up on my radar is L’Oreal’s new Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream. From what I can tell, this is a super thick (and rather pricey) primer that fills in lines and pores to give a perfectly smooth canvas for an airbrushed look. Full size is $24.99, but Walgreens has this display of trial size tubes for $6.99. This is a love it or hate it kind of product, so the reviews will vary pretty widely. A trial size is perfect for this kind of product. If you hate it, you haven’t sunk the full $25 (what!) into it.

Finally, I went to Walmart for the first time in months and snapped some shots of the Hard Candy Spring line. My local Walmart is seriously lacking in the beauty department, so they didn’t have all of the new releases, but they did have a few.

Hard Candy Nail Lacquers

Hard Candy Nail Lacquers

Hard Candy came out with a ton (45) of new nail lacquers for 2013. The five collection are: Crushed Chromes, Itsy Glitzy, Crystal Confetti, Glitteratzi, and Candy Sprinkles.

All Lid Up Illuminating Cream Shadows: Vibrant, long lasting cream eyeshadows with a crease-proof formula.

Wow, that was a lot to throw at you in one post, but like I said, it’s been a while. In case you were wondering, I completely blew my “no-buy” this month (more on that in my favorites post) so I will be reviewing some of the items you see here. I hope that you saw something that you like. I’m especially interested to know if anyone has used the L’Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream. I’d love to know your thoughts if you have.

Happy December everyone! I really can’t believe that it’s already December. November just flew by for me. I am completely losing track of time. Anyway, I have some new displays to show you from Ulta and Walmart. Actually I’ve had these photos over a week, but I haven’t had the chance to post ’em until now. I’ll start with my Walmart finds.

Hard Candy Top Ten palettes

I was really tempted to pick up a couple of these Hard Candy Top Ten palettes. They come in five different shade families: purple, green, nude, pink, and blue. What really grabbed my attention was the nude palette called Naturally Gorgeous.

Hard Candy Top Ten palette in Naturally Gorgeous

Looks like Hard Candy has a Naked Palette dupe out now. I haven’t tried Hard Candy shadows before, so I don’t know how this palette will perform, but if you are in the market for a palette like this, it may be worth a shot. Hard Candy Top Ten palettes are $6.00 at Walmart.

Maybelline Total Eye Look kits

I also spotted these Maybelline Total Eye Look kits at Walmart. Each kit contains a different Maybelline mascara, eyeshadow quad, and eyeliner pencil. These sets are $10 each.

L’Oreal Colour Riche Eyeshadow Quads

At Ulta I found the first Spring 2013 release, the L’Oreal Colour Riche Eyeshadow Quads. The six quads seem to be a good mix of neutrals and bold shades to satisfy a wide variety of users. These quads launched in Europe in October, I believe, so if you are not in the US you may have already seen these around. They are around $5-$6.

Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Longlasting Lipstick

I also spotted the Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Longlasting Lipstick at Ulta. I am not really a fan of Longlasting Lipsticks because I find them to be really drying and uncomfortable. However, if they are your bag, Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Longlasting Lipsticks may be just right for you.

The top trays of shadow slide open to reveal the face products. Ulta had the palette available for $24.99, but it is currently priced at $22 over at nyxcosmetics.com.

Ulta Film Noir 12-piece Collection

The other palette that caught my attention at Ulta was the Film Noir 12-piece Collection. Ulta has had this palette out for awhile now, but every time I see it, I want to get it. The deep jewel tones are gorgeous in real life.

Ulta Film Noir 12-piece Collection

I’ve swatched some of the shadows in the store, and they seem really pigmented. The nine shadows also come with a cheek color, a lip color, and a mini eyeliner. At only $12.99, I really should just bite the bullet and buy the palette.

That’s all I have for today. There will be many new displays popping up as Spring 2013 launches here in the States. 2012 brought us some really great products, so I can’t wait to see what 2013 has for us.

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, I have really bad allergies in the late spring, early summer. One of the unfortunate side-effects is that my eyes get really swollen and puffy. Thankfully, I discovered the Hard Candy Eye’m Tired De-puffing Eye Serum. This handy little item is a mere $5 and actually works really well. (Click photos to enlarge.)

Hard Candy Eye’m Tired De-puffing Eye Serum

Hard Candy Eye’m Tired De-puffing Eye Serum is a tube of clear gel serum. It dispenses through an applicator with a trio of roller balls that “massage” your under-eye area. The serum is lightweight and not sticky. It absorbs into skin rather quickly, though you should allow a few minutes before applying makeup just to be on the safe side. Application is a breeze and I feel that the roller balls deliver just the right amount of serum for my needs without me having to squeeze out any extra. This tube is going to last for a very long time.

Hard Candy Eye’m Tired Eye Serum rollerball applicator

Here is what Hard Candy has to say about the Eye’m Tired De-puffing Eye Serum: “Depuffs, brightens, firms. Lightweight de-puffing eye serum cools and calms tired eyes. Gently roll under eyes to instantly rejuvenate and de-puff those bags! Trio rollerball massages away bags as it refreshes the eye area.” Eye’m Tired really lives up to these claims. I don’t usually have a problem with bags under my eyes, but the puffiness on my bad allergy days pretty much disappears with Eye’m Tired. The serum is cooling and the roller balls feel nice on the sensitive skin under the eyes. I find it refreshing and a great wake-me-up.

If you do have an issue with bags or puffiness under the eyes, then I encourage you to give Hard Candy Eye’m Tired De-puffing Eye Serum a try. Hard Candy is sold exclusively at Wal-mart (which is the only down-side). It is available at Walmart.com if you do not have a Wal-mart near you.

I grabbed a travel size of Tresemme Tres Two Extra Hold hairspray. I rarely use hairspray, so a travel size is great for me.

I found this adorable blue and white scarf from the Dollar Tree. I was really surprised to find it, but it’s lightweight and pretty, perfect for the summer. And only a dollar!

I snagged an EOS hand lotion for review. I really do not understand the hype over EOS lip balms, because I hate them. But I wanted to give EOS another chance, so I’ll be trying the hand lotion to see if it’s just the lip balm I can’t stand, or if I should forget about EOS entirely.

I am very excited to try the Soho Beauty Sponge. I have read several positive reviews that, unlike other knockoffs, it’s as good as the Beauty Blender, though much cheaper. I can’t wait to try it out.

The other item that I can’t wait to try is the new Hard Candy Eye’m Tired. It’s a roller ball with a serum that is supposed to de-puff, brighten, and firm the under-eye area. Again, I’ve seen some very good reviews of this product, so I’m anxious to try it out.

Not a large haul, but I think there are some interesting items. You will definitely be seeing the EOS lotion, Soho Beauty Sponge and the Hard Candy Eye’m Tired again, once I’ve had a chance to play with them a bit.

It’s the first week of April, so that means that it’s time for my Monthly favorites for March. Last month, I mentioned that February was hard on me, and expressed a wish that March would be better. That did not happen, in fact it got worse. My posting schedule was a bit spotty this month, and some of you know that it was due to a family health issue and the loss of a loved one. I’ve been really struggling. I wore makeup a lot more this month than I usually do, but it was different than usual. I didn’t wear much mascara or eyeliner because I had a lot of days when I knew that I’d most likely be crying and didn’t want raccoon eyes. I had to go out and buy a waterproof mascara for the memorial service because I don’t normally wear waterproof. I did end up with several products that I reached for over and over again, so there are a lot of items to mention in this post.

Freeman masks

I was under a great deal of stress this month and, consequently, I’ve been experiencing some skin problems. I’ve had breakouts and such, so I decided to treat myself to a few masks. I really enjoy Freeman masks, because there are inexpensive and I can experiment with several different kinds. You can, of course, get the full size bottle of your favorite Freeman mask, but I like the variety of these “travel” sizes. For $1.37 each (at Walmart), I can try the whole line if I want to without having to commit, and I usually get two masks out of each pouch. They have helped clear my skin up, and have given me a chance to pamper myself during a tough time. My favorites (so far) are the Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask, the Chocolate & Strawberry Facial Clay Mask, and the Goji Berry Facial Hydration Mask. Freeman has several other masks to choose from for a variety of skin types.

Because my skin has been such crap this month, I’ve been relying on concealer. Both of these concealers were my top choices for my 2011 favorites for face post, so check it out here for more details on the products. I use the Hard Candy Glamoflauge to cover any breakout issues because it’s heavy duty and covers anything, but it’s too thick for under the eye. I’ve had major dark circles due to lack of sleep, so I’ve been using the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer under the eyes and it’s been really helping.

e.l.f. Complexion Perfection

To set my under eye concealer, I’ve been turning to the e.l.f. Complexion Perfection Powder. Actually, I just checked e.l.f.’s website, and they have changed the name to the Studio Tone Correcting Powder, but it’s the same product. It is $3.00 from the Studio line. I rediscovered this little gem in my collection this month after not using it since the summer. I especially like the yellow tone for under eye, and blending the yellow and green over my cheeks where I have a lot of redness.

Revlon Photoready Color-Correcting Primer

You may remember my full review here of the Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer. In my review I mentioned that, although this primer doesn’t live up to it’s color-correcting or brightening claims, it’s nonetheless a fantastic primer. I’ve been using it almost every day under a variety of foundations. I love the soft-focus finish that it gives, and it makes my foundation look great. I think it’s a keeper, even though it doesn’t actually color-correct.

e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation

I have been pleasantly surprised by the e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation. I wasn’t sure if e.l.f.’s foundation would be that great because of the extremely low price. I really like the Flawless Finish Foundation, though. It gives my skin a beautiful smooth semi-matte finish with pretty good coverage. It doesn’t dry me out, and my skin looks great hours into wear. And check out that glass bottle! E.l.f. really stepped it up with the packaging for the Flawless Finish Foundation. The packaging looks expensive, but it is still only $6.00, which is pricey for e.l.f., but lower than anything else you can find in the drugstore. I totally recommend checking it out. I have seen limited shades of the e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation at Target.

NYC Bronzer in Sunny

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny is a cult favorite in the beauty community. Chances are you own it, or have at least heard of it. I’ve been loving it this month to give my face some life and dimension and a natural-looking glow. Sunny is a sheer matte bronzer, not too dark, so it’s great for this time of year when I don’t have any tan. It warms my face up without looking too fake or muddy. Sunny is smooth and blends easily, and retails for about $3.

I’ve been doing really fast and easy eye looks this month, so I’ve been using the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadows a lot, especially the shades Tough as Taupe and Pomegranate Punk . You can read my full review of these shadows here. I’ve mentioned them several times here on BiBB, so you already know that I think they are awesome. The Color Tattoos are so easy peasy. I’ve been using them alone on the lid, just dabbing some on with my fingers and blending up a bit into the crease. Then I finish off with my next two items.

Wet n Wild Brulee and Sonia Kashuk Small Multipurpose Powder Brush

This is the second month in a row that Brulee has been a favorite, so there’s not much more that I can say about it. It is a universal highlight shade, and I use it all the time. I’ve been sweeping it on with almost every single eye look I’ve done in March. The Sonia Kashuk Small Multipurpose Powder Brush is a fantastic brush to sweep on and blend out Brulee. I got this brush for Christmas and L-O-V-E it! It’s perfect. It’s so soft and fluffy, and is the best blending brush that I own. You can find the Sonia Kashuk Small Multipurpose Powder Brush at Target for around $10-$12.

That’s it for my March favorites. I hope that you saw something you like. If you try any of these products, I’d love to hear what you thought of them. Leave me a comment below and let me know.